This invention relates to a hammer for driving piles.
The normal method of driving piles with a hammer is for a falling weight to strike a driving cap, anvil or the pile itself, so that the momentum of the weight drives the pile into the ground until its energy is dissipated by the resistance of the ground. The sudden compression in the anvil, driving cap or pile causes unwanted sound and, under hard driving conditions, also causes deformation and damage. Collapse of the pile can result from continued hard driving.